More football, please

A new professional football league – the United Football League – is moving toward the kick-off of its first season next fall in six cities, none of them San Antonio.

The league issued a press release Monday announcing an innovative training strategy and that the first six cities to get teams will be announced next month. San Antonio was considered as a site for an inaugural team and could land a UFL team in later years as it expands, a league spokeswoman said.

But for now, Hartford, Conn., Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterrey, Mexico, New York, Orlando, Fla., Salt Lake City, and San Francisco are the eight cities competing for the first six openings.

In an interesting wrinkle, the three Western teams will train at a facility the league will develop in Casa Grande, Ariz., while the three teams from the East will train at a yet-to-be-determined site. A release said that setup helps teams share resources, build talent pools and improve camaraderie among players.

The league has other pitches under development to build a fan base in markets seen as underserved by professional football.